Ch.14Chapter 14

After returning home, I was sprawled out in the living room. I placed one of the papers scattered on the floor in front of me and began scribbling with a pen.

“Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmm…”

Humming a tune, I wrote down each character one by one. I started with the easiest numbers to memorize, then wrote down the names I had memorized while taking notes during this afternoon’s lecture.

Ourr, Sera, Aria, and Professor Yuria.

After jotting everything down, my hand suddenly stopped. Just as I was wondering what to write next, I remembered getting Karen’s contact information.

Since I had casually tossed my coat onto the sofa, I got up. I rummaged through the inner pocket of the coat that lay limply on the sofa and pulled out my phone. As I was tapping it to check my contacts, I remembered that I had also received Aria’s contact information.

“Ah,” I sighed softly, then unfolded the clumsily folded paper from my pocket.

The name “Aria” that I had written earlier was clearly visible on it. Below it was, of course, her phone number.

Since I’d already seen it, I decided to save it and tapped on my phone. Having watched others save contacts several times, entering a name and number was no longer difficult for me.

I was about to enter Karen’s name, but after saving Aria’s number, I changed my mind. If she gave me her number, shouldn’t I send her mine as well?

Ring ring. Without hesitation, I made the call. Perhaps because it was an unknown number, the connection tone went on for quite a while.

While listening to the tone, a salty yet sweet aroma tickled my nose. The Professor seemed to be showing off her cooking skills again and setting the table.

“Who are you calling?”

Seeing me in a calling posture, she seemed curious about who I was talking to.

“Aria, who I made friends with today. Oh, she picked up.”

[Hello?]

“Hi, it’s Ourr.”

[Ah, Ourr! Sorry, I tend to be cautious with unknown numbers…]

Aria greeted me cheerfully after hearing my voice. She even explained why she had to answer the call late.

I understood that much, so I brushed it off casually.

I had a normal conversation like when I called Sera after getting my phone, then hung up. After letting Aria know my number, I briefly pondered if there was anyone else I should inform.

I had already exchanged numbers with the Professor right after activating my phone, and then there’s Karen, Sera, Aria… No one else.

Still, I thought it was quite decent. Making three friends while wandering around the Academy for four days seemed like a good achievement. I wasn’t sure if Karen counted since I met her before that, but anyway.

Having too many friends would surely be exhausting. I believed that meeting fewer people, limited to those I could care about, would strengthen our relationships, so the current situation felt most comfortable.

After finishing the call, the Professor put down her chopsticks.

“Ourr, the table’s set. Let’s eat now.”

“Coming!”

I left the papers scattered on the floor and headed to the kitchen where the dining table was.

After sitting down, I grabbed the sleeves of my shirt and rolled them up once more. While it didn’t matter when studying, loose shirt sleeves could dip into food while eating, which I wanted to avoid.

I didn’t particularly want to get dirty.

The menu was hamburger steak. But that wasn’t all. In the center was even a gratin, making it truly luxurious. I wondered if becoming a professor meant earning a lot of money.

I picked up my fork and knife. As I was using my whole body to cut the hamburger steak, the Professor smiled bitterly.

“Should I have made meatballs for our Ourr instead?”

“…Doesn’t this have more juices?”

“That’s true. You’re starting to know your flavors, aren’t you?”

The Professor seemed pleased that I was discussing taste, smiling brightly. Her eyes, containing blue jewels, curved into crescents.

I wonder if it’s strange to people that a Demon God who doesn’t need to eat to survive discusses taste? I’m not sure. Since there are supposedly no other Demon Gods integrated into society besides me, I couldn’t ask anyone.

I just continued cutting, taking the Professor’s hesitant gestures as encouragement.

…

The hamburger steak was gradually losing its shape. It definitely had a pretty form when I first saw it, but now it was completely collapsed. Seeing this, I let out a groan, and the Professor stood up with her plate of hamburger steak.

“I’ll do it for you. Let’s eat like this today.”

“I could eat with a spoon…”

“Then you won’t be able to taste the juices, right?”

Saying that, the Professor moved to sit beside me. She pushed my hamburger plate aside. Between us now sat a still-intact hamburger steak.

An elegant gesture. The fork and knife danced, and soon a perfectly bite-sized piece was lifted on the fork. A symphony of juices flowing over the sauce. I sparkled my eyes at the sight.

As I watched the hamburger steak while checking the Professor’s expression, she smiled and slightly extended it toward me.

“This is definitely better than scooping up the previous one with a spoon, right?”

“D-definitely.”

When I nodded at the Professor’s words, she held the hamburger steak out to me.

“Now, say ‘aah.'”

“…I can eat by myself.”

“Aah.”

Unable to resist, I slightly opened my mouth. Waah, the hamburger entered my widely opened mouth. I quietly chewed, savoring the burst of flavor. It was hot but not enough to burn my mouth. The perfect warmth made my body quiver.

“Is it hot? Want some water?”

“…!”

I shook my head vigorously while covering my mouth with both hands. The Professor’s urgent hand movement stopped. I squeezed my eyes shut, chewed, and finally swallowed.

The Professor watched me quietly, seemingly curious about my opinion.

“It’s delicious…”

When I raised the corners of my mouth, the Professor began moving her hands even faster. Soon, another perfectly cut piece was held out in front of my mouth.

“…But doesn’t it seem like I’m the only one eating? No matter how much I eat, I never feel full…”

I looked up at the Professor with a troubled expression.

Honestly, the Professor should know everything about me after living together for a year, but sometimes I didn’t understand why she acted certain ways.

I could understand wanting someone to eat with even though I didn’t need to eat, but continuing to offer food to someone who never feels full no matter how much they eat seemed like a waste of ingredients.

The Professor looked at me quietly and shook her head.

“I’m satisfied just watching you eat, Ourr.”

“…What’s that supposed to mean.”

I grumbled, finding it absurd. Seeing the hamburger that showed no sign of moving away from my mouth, I just went “nom” and bit it.

Though less hot than before, the perfect warmth and taste enveloped my mouth. The exquisite harmony of sweetness and saltiness made my mouth happy.

If I had an enormous appetite, would I have eaten the Professor’s wallet too?

I thought it was fortunate that while I had no hunger or feeling of fullness, I also had no appetite.

“Why did you call your friend Aria?”

As I was chewing with my cheeks full, the Professor casually asked a question. She seemed curious about my earlier call to Aria while setting the table.

“She gave me her number today, so I called to give her mine in return.”

“I see. Did she say anything else?”

“Just greetings… She told me to enjoy my meal.”

“Good job.”

The Professor, perhaps valuing such etiquette, gently patted my head as if she had been waiting for such an answer.

As the meal continued, there came a moment when sauce dripped from the hamburger the Professor was holding out. I felt as if the world had stopped for a moment with a gasp.

But since it hadn’t actually stopped, the sauce mercilessly soaked my pristine white shirt.

“…Ah.”

When I let out a small sigh, the Professor quickly withdrew her hand. She pulled out several tissues and roughly wiped at it. Nevertheless, the color didn’t fade.

Seeing this, the Professor spoke awkwardly.

“Well, we were going to send it to the dry cleaner anyway, right?”

“…Were we? First I’ve heard of it.”

“Yes, shirts usually go to the dry cleaner…”

I was unsure whether to call the Professor’s habit of tossing things to the dry cleaner when faced with such difficulties refreshing or wasteful, since we usually wash simple things at home.

Thinking that perhaps wealthy people could afford to think this way, I pouted.

“I was planning to wear it tomorrow since it was clean…”

“I’m sorry, there are clean ones I’ve washed, so let’s wear those? Um, to prevent more stains, should we take off your shirt first?”

The Professor, seemingly genuinely sorry, began fumbling with my buttons. Before I could question it, her hands were already undoing the buttons.

My mind froze as my body was exposed before I could even utter a confused “Huh?”

“…Ah.”

While I stood frozen, unable to say anything, the Professor’s hands stopped only a moment later. Realizing I wasn’t wearing anything under the shirt, she slightly tightened the open shirt.

“I forgot you weren’t wearing anything underneath.”

The Professor explained awkwardly, removing her hands.

The buttons had been undone for a while, so as soon as the Professor’s hands left, the shirt opened again. I fidgeted with my hands, embracing complicated feelings. I decided to just button up a few buttons and continue with the meal.

After all, we even bathe together, so starting to nitpick about such things would be endless.